“NITRO” author Guy Evans tackles the complex story of Hulk Hogan

The death of Terry Bollea a.k.a. Hulk Hogan in July elicited worldwide coverage of the performer’s contributions as one of the biggest draws in the history of professional wrestling.

Bollea’s legacy was heavily debated by ones who grew up with Hogan as a seminal figure of their childhood and gateway to the World Wrestling Federation, with many believing he died without resolving his racist comments, which were revealed in 2015.

There have been many obituaries, stories, podcasts, tributes, and other specials on his career, and author Guy Evans (“NITRO: The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner’s WCW”) is launching his next book project covering the life of Bollea.

This week, Evans is launching a Kickstarter campaign to help finance The Hulk Hogan Story as Evans plans to release a trilogy covering the life and career of the late wrestler.

We spoke with Evans ahead of the Kickstarter launch to speak about this project and his follow-up book, “Beyond Nitro”, which was recently released.

What was your immediate reaction to the news of Hulk Hogan’s passing in July?

Guy Evans: Well, if you recall the period that preceded his passing, it was obviously known that Hogan – albeit to an unclear extent – had apparently suffered a major health setback. Clearly, there was a great deal of ambiguity surrounding his condition, but personally, I had heard enough to know that something was up. Nonetheless, I was as shocked as anyone else when the news finally hit. 

Invariably, I suppose, there are certain rarified figures – like Hogan, in this case – who attain, as a consequence of their longevity, impact, and status, a mantle of near-invincibility in the general public consciousness. But these figures aren’t actually immortal, of course, and therefore, it’s still a shock to the system when they do pass on. So in the immediate aftermath – i.e., before the conversation over Hogan’s legacy began in earnest – that sort of reaction was common. 

Did the coverage of his death strike you in any specific way?

Evans: With regard to his contemporaries in the wrestling business, the response to Hogan’s death was unprecedented – utterly unprecedented – in its magnitude, intensity, and scope. Firstly, the President of the United States released a series of wistful statements about the matter, followed by the Vice President echoing similar sentiments – and even citing Hogan as an influence on his upbringing. At the podium of an official press conference, the Governor of Florida waxed poetically about Hulk battling Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III. As far away as Japan, the national broadcaster aired a tribute in consideration of Hogan’s influence on Japanese wrestling, and in the United Kingdom, the BBC reported the star’s death as part of a breaking news update.

Back in Florida, a prominent radio DJ noted that for the moment, the news had been treated – from Tampa to Toronto, Melbourne to Manchester – as perhaps the most frequently discussed event in the entire Western World. The fact that one could even make this claim – that Hogan’s death, in hardly an act of hyperbole, had (temporarily) superseded coverage of war, the economy, and so on – is almost as remarkable as Hogan’s life and legacy itself. 

When did the life and career of Hogan turn into an idea for your next book project, and what was the impetus behind it?

Evans: As I alluded to on the Kickstarter page, I had previously started some rudimentary research (and several initial interviews) after completing the writing process for Beyond Nitro. In the wake of Hogan’s death, however, it became clear to me that my then-untitled book – now tentatively known as The Hulk Hogan Story – couldn’t be confined to a single volume. Therefore, it has since become my intention to develop a biographical trilogy on this most important subject – the first of its kind in the genre. 

If you look at my previous work – particularly NITRO and BEYOND NITRO – you can safely envision three similarly detailed books with tons of new information, perspectives, and insights. The Hulk Hogan Story becomes a reality with reader support! 

There were divided opinions of Hogan after his passing, with some wanting to preserve the memory of this mythical figure from their childhood, and others who saw a very ugly side to his racist remarks that fans could not reconcile. Did you sense this same polarization, and how does that inform your approach toward the book?

Evans: Yes, you are correct in noting that rather quickly, the discussion around Hogan split around this issue of his legacy, and if you recall, the term complicated arose to become the expression du jour. After four-plus decades in the public eye, the Tampa Bay Times declared that Hogan had left “the complicated legacy of a Florida Man.” CBS Sports communicated a similar sentiment in its own headline: Hulk Hogan leaves indelible yet complicated legacy behind. You saw this same kind of contextualizing everywhere. “I understand for a lot of people,” acknowledged Paul Levesque in the aftermath, “it’s complicated.” When Levesque and company allotted time for Cody Rhodes to address the issue during an episode of SmackDown, how did Rhodes begin his own exposition?

“I know…it’s complicated,” he said. 

So if we can agree on anything, we can agree on this: it’s complicated! But in reference to the latter part of your question, I will simply refer you to my previous work and specifically, the objective approach that so many readers have previously enjoyed. Moreover, I should note that this project is an independent initiative – and therefore, entirely unattached to another person, family, group, organization, institution, estate or publisher. That certainly provides people with a great opportunity to support a project that is totally unfettered by outside influences. 

Given your past work covering the demise of WCW, working with Eric Bischoff on a book, and your latest book (“Beyond Nitro”) that covers Hogan’s time in TNA, how much of your past reporting dovetails into your next venture?

Evans: Quite honestly, I think the crossover will be marginal at best. There’s so much that I haven’t written about before – including Hogan’s time in the AWA, the WWF during the 80s, and even the early ’90s period before the WCW signing. As you mentioned, I covered TNA quite thoroughly in Beyond Nitro, there’s still so much more that remains unpublished. 

What are your goals with this Hogan book, and what are the difficulties in covering a figure so prominent over the past four decades?

I’m cognizant of the fact that people have innumerable entertainment options and, in most cases, a limited amount of time to exercise those options. That’s a reality that I try to keep in mind whenever I’m writing and publishing a book. In other words, my goals are the same as ever – to provide something that is truly unique, groundbreaking, comprehensive, detailed, fair, and with the potential to be revisited in the future, time after time. 

Since NITRO came out in 2018, what is the toughest aspect of the book publishing business, and what lessons have you learned after multiple releases?

Evans: Well, I suppose on paper (no pun intended), the toughest aspect would be that these projects – from conceptualization to publication – are entirely a solo pursuit. With that being said, I think that ultimately, this dynamic strongly works in my favor, and perhaps it explains – to some degree, at least – why my books have become so successful. There’s probably something to be said for having a single vision, insofar as there is no ‘daylight’ between my intentions and what the readers ultimately receive. 

In closing, I appreciate you for taking the time, and congratulations on all of your success with POST. You guys were definitive pioneers in this ‘space’, and it’s great to see all that hard work pay off!

To follow along the progress of The Hulk Hogan Story, you can do so through its Kickstarter campaign, which launches on Tuesday, and all of Guy Evans’ bookS can be found on Amazon